LA Giltinis signed crossover athlete Gelen Robinson. The 26-year-old hooker is 6’1″ and 267 lbs.
Gelen just completed a ten-match season with Colorado XO at the RugbyTown Crossover Academy, his first participation in rugby.
Gelen is from Gary, Indiana, and lives in Schererville. He attended Lake Central High School where he was a multi-sport athlete, playing football, wrestling, and track and field.
He comes from an athletic family. His father, Glenn Robinson, was a former NBA standout from 1994-2005, and his older brother Glenn Robinson III played basketball at Michigan and then with the Sacramento Kings.
Gelen did not follow in their footsteps with basketball. He was the Post Tribune Defensive Player of the Year in football, as well as a Maxpreps 2014 All-American. He also threw the discus and shot put and was second in the state in both. In wrestling, he was third in the state as a sophomore and won state championships at 220 lbs his junior and senior years.
Gelen went to Purdue University from 2014-2018, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Selling and Sales Management, with a minor in Entrepreneurship. He continued as a multisport athlete, playing football as a defensive tackle. He played 46 games and in 2016 was an Honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. He was a heavyweight wrestler, and threw the discus and shot put in the indoor and outdoor track and field season.
Gelen continued to play football after graduation, playing for the San Diego Fleet in the Alliance of American Football and for the XFL Dallas Renegades before joining Colorado XO in rugby.
LA Giltinis Comments
Robinson, 26 on June 10, is instantly in the mix as a back-up hooker for the Giltinis with Mahe Vailanu and Lindsey Stevens both on the injured list.
Robinson has played only 10 games of rugby but admits he has become “obsessed” with the game after a transition from defensive end in football.
“Gelen has a unique skill of multiple disciplines as an athlete, from wrestling and football, while Shawn is one of those athletes that has an incredible engine, who could play multiple positions,” said Freier.
“They are both great signings and young men, which is a real credit the Colorado XOs coaching staff and officials.”
Both Robinson and Clark took their first strides in the game over the past 19 weeks in this unique “crossover” experiment to coach talented football, basketball, and track athletes into potential professionals for the USA Rugby player pool.
Clark and Robinson are the second and third members of the XOs to make the leap over to the Giltinis for the 2021 MLR season after Ma’ake Muti was signed back in April.
“I dove headfirst into rugby only six months ago. It was a risk for me, but I’ve become obsessed with the game,” Robinson said. “I’ve picked up plenty but there are a million little things still to learn so it’s very exciting to sign with the best team in the country. I’ve felt that in my first training sessions with the Giltinis this week from the smallest scrum techniques to lineout throwing. I’m in the right place around experienced players and coaches.”
The 6′ 1″ (1.85m), 279 pounds (121kg) Robinson excelled in football, wrestling, and as a shot putter in college without ever knowing that this background would help him in a new sport.
“I would definitely say rugby is a combination of football, wrestling, and a bit of soccer (for the awareness of space on the field). That background has certainly helped my confidence for tackling and rucks. And running the ball…that’s great for a guy who had a whole life in football not touching the ball as a defensive lineman.”
Robinson’s ingrained competitiveness and professionalism are major assets from a family pedigree of achievement in professional sports.
He is the son of Glenn Robinson, a two-time All-Star who won the 2005 NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs to cap a decorated 11-season career among basketball’s elite.
His older brother Glenn Robinson III finished a stint with the Sacramento Kings in the current NBA season.
“We at the Colorado XOs and the City of Glendale are extremely proud of both Shawn and Gelen,” Colorado XO Director of Recruitment Peter Pasque said. “They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them and more. We also would like to thank the LA Giltinis for taking an early interest in our program.”
Freier said, “They are both great signings and young men, which is a real credit to the Colorado XOs coaching staff and officials.”
Both Robinson and Clark took their first strides in the game over the past 19 weeks in this unique “crossover” experiment to coach talented football, basketball, and track athletes into potential professionals for the USA Rugby player pool.
Clark and Robinson are the second and third members of the XOs to make the leap over to the Giltinis for the 2021 MLR season after Ma’ake Muti was signed back in April.
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